Wind Power News: Brazil

These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.

Brazil’s energy agency ANEEL has cancelled nine solar projects totalling 249.7MW of capacity and 16 wind farms with a combined capacity of 307.7MW in its first ever de-contraction auction. The auction took place due to a high number of projects being contracted in Brazil’s first reserve energy auctions between 2014 and 2015 remaining unbuilt and becoming idle. This was partly the result of inexperienced players partaking in the initial auction. The de-contraction will allow the government to make more accurate . . .Complete story »

Indian turbine manufacturer Suzlon has filed for voluntary liquidation of its Brazilian operations, after 11 years in the country. The firm said the move was “a consequence of multiple factors that are unique to Brazil”. A company spokesperson said: “We believe that this is a responsible decision for the benefit of long-term sustainability of the company and its shareholders.” Suzlon has around 740MW of wind capacity installed in Brazil, having entered the country in 2006. The manufacturer said the decision . . .Complete story »

Vestas has confirmed that the nacelle of a V112-3.0 MW turbine caught fire at the 27 MW Xangri-la site, in the southern Brazilian Rio Grande do Sul state, on Saturday, Oct. 15. According to a spokesperson for the manufacturer, no injuries or other material damage occurred as a result of the fire. “Vestas is conducting a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the fire,” says the spokesperson. “We have already begun examining data from the turbine, and a team . . .Complete story »

The nacelle of a Vestas V112 3MW turbine caught fire on 15 October at the 27MW Xangri-la wind farm in the southern Rio Grande do Sul state of Brazil. A spokesman for the Danish manufacturer said no injuries or other material damage occurred as a result of the fire. “Vestas is conducting a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the fire,” he said. “We have already begun examining data from the turbine, and a team of experts will soon . . .Complete story »

Investigations are ongoing at utility Eletrobras’s 46MW Cerro Chato IV-VI wind complex in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul following the collapse of eight Impsa turbines. he incident was caused by a freak storm hitting Santana do Livramento district on the afternoon of 22 December, with gusts reaching 250 kilometres per hour, according to an Eletrosul press statement, which appears to be its only public comment on the incident. Neither Impsa nor Electrobras would respond to questions from . . .Complete story »

A Brazilian court has reversed the bankruptcy of Wind Power Energy SA (WPE), a subsidiary of Argentinian power firm Impsa, imposed last week due to the apparent failure to pay money it owed. The court of Pernambuco state had previously declared the company bankrupt after two Brazilian firms, Libra Terminal Valongo and Libra Terminais, claimed an unpaid debt owed to them of BRL 10.6 million ($4.7 million). However, Impsa said that the reversal of the judgment was made because there . . .Complete story »

Impsa subsidiary Wind Power Energy has been declared bankrupt by a Brazilian court following claims by two companies that the manufacturer had failed to pay its debts. The subsidiary of the Argentinian power firm Impsa, which has installed around 30% of Brazil’s turbines, was declared bankrupt by a court of the Pernambuco state after two Brazilian companies claimed an unpaid debt owed to them of BR 10.6 million ($4.7 million). Judge Rafael Jose de Menezes, based in Recife, capital of . . .Complete story »

Brazilian government energy agency EPE has approved 377 wind projects with a combined installed capacity of 8.999GW. The projects are offered 20-year contracts with delivery starting on January 2015 and a ceiling price of BRL 117/MWh ($50/MWh). The initial price of energy will be R$117.00/MWh. They cover eight states (Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte and Rio Grande do Sul) with Bahia running 123 schemes and 2.92GW, Rio Grande do Sul with 94 schemes and 2.006GW . . .Complete story »